So that explains why UA staff were setting up tables etc at the gate while I was boarding a 6am flight to IAH. What was the rego of the aircraft as I was supposed to depart DEN yesterday on a 787 but the flight was cancelled? It was the same gate

Congrats to DEN for finally making this longstanding dream come to fruition. Hopefully this service makes it, unlike DL's ill-fated SLC-NRT. Seeing as how Denver is a larger market and much stronger hub than SLC, not to mention UA's superior connectivity at NRT (mostly via partner NH) and use of the smaller 787, I have high hopes for this one. If the 787 can establish viable new links from NRT to BOS, SAN, and SJC, I do not see why DEN should be any different. I can't help but wonder if routes like NRT-LAS, NRT-OGG (if the 787 can get off the 6,995 ft runway and do OGG-NRT nonstop with a viable payload), NRT-PHL, NRT-PHX, perhaps even NRT-MIA or NRT-MCO (if the plane has sufficient range for nonstop Florida-Japan flights) are under serious consideration thanks to the 787.

Quoting 777ER (Reply 3):the aircraft as I was supposed to depart DEN yesterday on a 787 but the flight was cancelled?

At least it got out of IAH and into DEN without issues and out of DEN. A friend was to fly the DEN-IAH flight last evening getting into IAH after midnight but that one cancelled, maybe your same flight. He also tried to take it from IAH-ORD on Friday only to have it delayed some four hours so he'd would have missed his connection.

Was a few tough days for the B788's recently so hopefully that is behind them now.

Yes that was the aircraft! Couldn't see the fleet number on the gear doors in the photo I took as some ground equipment was blocking it, but I remember it had a 4 in the rego

Quoting IAHFLYR (Reply 7):Quoting 777ER (Reply 3):the aircraft as I was supposed to depart DEN yesterday on a 787 but the flight was cancelled?

At least it got out of IAH and into DEN without issues and out of DEN. A friend was to fly the DEN-IAH flight last evening getting into IAH after midnight but that one cancelled, maybe your same flight. He also tried to take it from IAH-ORD on Friday only to have it delayed some four hours so he'd would have missed his connection.

I was supposed to fly UA95 (2.30pm departure). While talking to some UA employees who were non-rev on the flight I noticed a guy sitting in the front row of seats beside the podium with a 787 t-shirt on. Guess I'll wait till JQ launches their 787-8 services and NZ launches their 787-9 services. I was also originally booked on a UA 787 on the day the fleet was grounded in January but had to change my flight the day before.

Congrats to DEN, NRT, UA, and well done and three cheers for all of those who have worked so hard and so long to make this flight a reality.

I thought this flight was some 10+ years in the making..... well, I'm sort of correct..... as per the Post article...... this flight has been 26 years in the making.

And it just goes to show what $22M in rental rebates, etc. for UA at DEN can do to acquire a new route........ before, I think that it was just local business people going over to NH in Japan with bags full of cash, and promises of the firstborns...........(lol)

it seems that the local delegation that on its way to Japan in this flight, will go to ICN afterwards....... where they will tour Incheon International Airport, its Airport City and the Songdo Aerotropolis. But I have to wonder..... could DEN-ICN be next maybe with OZ? After all, DEN-ICN is a slightly larger local market.......

Three years too late! I lived in Hong Kong for ten years and Tokyo for five, used to fly back to Denver once a year or so to visit family. Always hoped for a Japan to Denver flight, but no reson to take it now.

Quoting point2point (Reply 10):it seems that the local delegation that on its way to Japan in this flight, will go to ICN afterwards....... where they will tour Incheon International Airport, its Airport City and the Songdo Aerotropolis. But I have to wonder..... could DEN-ICN be next maybe with OZ? After all, DEN-ICN is a slightly larger local market.......

Highly unlikely. UA hasn't shown much interest in expanding out of Korea at all. There isn't even an EWR-ICN flight. NYC-Seoul market is around 896 PDEW. Good luck getting them to start DEN-ICN which is less than 30 PDEW.

This is great for Denver and United; I'm sure the route will preform quite well.
I can recall when Northwest inaugurated its first flight from Detroit to Tokyo back in 1989. At that time, I never dreamed DTW would serve as a Gateway to Asia.
IIRC United began service to Tokyo in 1983 from SEA and PDX.

Quoting HOONS90 (Reply 12):Highly unlikely. UA hasn't shown much interest in expanding out of Korea at all. There isn't even an EWR-ICN flight. NYC-Seoul market is around 896 PDEW. Good luck getting them to start DEN-ICN which is less than 30 PDEW.

Doesn't have to be on UA. Their are Star Alliance partners, like Asiana, which can take advantage of connections over ICN from elsewhere in Asia. Just like KE flying ICN-DFW in competition with AA. There, AA gets the US to Asia connections on AA, and KE gets the Asia to US.

Quoting point2point (Reply 10):it seems that the local delegation that on its way to Japan in this flight, will go to ICN afterwards....... where they will tour Incheon International Airport, its Airport City and the Songdo Aerotropolis.

There is a big political pissing match going on in Colorado, over the plan to create a Aerotropolis business district around the airport. The problem is that basically the annex agreement with a neighboring country that Denver got the land from basically forbids this. The other cities and counties are basically telling Denver that they will not allow the development to go forward, without the bulk of the proceeds in revenue going to those counties.

Quoting airfrnt (Reply 19):Anyone been able to see the loads on this route? It seems a good test of the Boeing assertion about route fragmentation.

Quoting klwright69 (Reply 20):The loads on DEN-NRT look quite good. This isn't surprising, the market was ready for this route. As we know that doesn't tell the whole story. When is LAX-NRT going to the 787?

DEN-CDG, DEN-AMS and DEN-MBJ are probably the top local international routes that DEN presently does not have. Any of these could go out full and probably with decent yields on birds made for these city-pairs with at least 4X-5X weekly flights without depending on connects.

I think that the DEN staff stated that DEN-PTY on CM, and into South America is their next goal...... but the above three routes are far better in terms of raw pax numbers........

Oh well..... as I've said before here..... this DEN airport management team, as well as the local Chamber of Commerces and regional Economic Development groups are very, very patient and persistent....... and still not giving up after some 25 years for a route is definitely an indication of that.

With DEN-London (first LGW, and now LHR) since the 80s, currently BA with a daily 777 on the route, then LH with DEN-FRA since 2001 now with a daily 747, and FI now announcing up to 6X weekly since it started last year, DEN international long-haul traffic is with some promise. And the 787 is making possible these routes that seem to fit DEN's needs, as well as a lot of other route pairs around the world.

So may DEN-NRT on UA be the first of many of these 787 long-haul routes to/from DEN that is successful so that the pax to/from the Denver area will be able to avoid connects elsewhere, and a new era of air travel convenience be possible with the 787. And there are enough 787s on order so that maybe at least a few of them are able to stop at the concourses at DEN.

[Edited 2013-06-13 08:45:04]

The messages in this discussion express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of Airliners.net or any entity associated with Airliners.net.